JSO combing air, water in Mandarin in search for missing grandmother

Police on Thursday night were guarding a home on Mandarin Road, the last place grandmother Kerry Jones was seen before she disappeared.

Heavy police activity both in the air and in the water could be seen near the home since Thursday afternoon.

Action News Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson, a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office veteran, said the scale of the activity indicates this is not a normal missing person’s case.

JSO said Kerry Jones was last seen at the home February 7. Investigators combed the area all day searching for Jones, who is deaf.

“It gives the appearance this is more than the typical missing adult,” Jefferson said.

The police report says JSO does not suspect foul play, but Jefferson said that could change.

“You don’t deploy this many resources for a typical missing person,” Jefferson said.

The police report said Kerry Jones’ boyfriend, Jackie Nick Kelly, is the last person to see her. Kelly reported her missing two days after the two had an argument last week. Her car, a Toyota with distinctive damage to the front and side, turned up at Kerry Jones’ job the day she disappeared.

Jones' son Aaron, who said he talked to his mom almost every day, told us by phone that his mom moved to Jacksonville from Alabama about six months ago to be with Kelly.

“She did say that she found out he has does have a drinking problem,” Aaron Jones said.

Kelly was arrested for DUI in 2012, according to JSO records. Police say Kelly is not a suspect in Jones’ disappearance. Meanwhile, Aaron Jones said Kelly is currently in a psych ward following his girlfriend’s disappearance.

We know Kerry Jones and Kelly met on a dating side called farmersonly.com. Jefferson has this advice for anyone looking for a relationship online.

“They still have to use common sense, they’re dealing with people, and they could be dealing with criminals,” Jefferson said.

Right now, JSO will not say that a crime has been committed; just that they are investigating a missing person’s case.

Cox Media Group